Dunbar Township man in custody after SERT standoff

Police said a state prison guard was taken into custody at his home after a seven-hour SERT standoff prompted by reports that he assaulted his wife and a juvenile girl during a domestic dispute.

State police said Thomas R. Baker Jr., 39, came out of his house shortly before 6 a.m. Monday and surrendered. The woman and the girl were able to get out safely before police arrived.

Lt. Jeff Fisher said the man was believed to have "a long gun" in his possession at some point during the incident on Oglevee Lane.

"The victims were able to relate to police that the actor took a loaded 12-gauge shotgun into the basement with him after stating, 'I'm not leaving here without a fight.' It was at that time that police attempted to make contact with the actor inside the residence," police wrote in a media statement.

When the troopers verbally tried to get Baker to come outside for an interview, he did not, so they called their Special Emergency Response Team, Fisher said.

Baker eventually came outside peacefully without a weapon, Fisher said. No gas or other measures were used during the standoff.

Neighbors watched in fear as police surrounded their typically quiet neighborhood. One neighbor said she heard police order everyone to their basement for safety.

"I stayed in my room. I didn't look outside, just looked out and saw all kinds of lights and sirens and everything," neighbor Bobbi Orr said.

Police said Baker was awaiting arraignment on charges of simple assault and harassment. Department of Corrections officials confirmed that he's a guard at the prison in Pittsburgh but could not discuss his current status.

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